Former first lady Michelle Obama has blasted US President Donald Trump in her new book, recalling how she reacted in shock the night she learned he would replace her husband in the Oval Office and tried to "block it all out."
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In her memoir Becoming, set for release on Tuesday, she writes candidly about everything from being subjected to racist comments to early struggles in her marriage to Barack Obama as he began his political career and was often away.
She writes that they met with a counsellor "a handful of times," and she came to realise that she was more "in charge" of her happiness than she had realised.
Obama denounces Trump for bragging in 2005, on the infamous Access Hollywood tape, about sexually assaulting women.
She also accuses him of using body language to "stalk" Hillary Clinton, his 2016 opponent, during an election debate. She writes of Trump following Clinton around the stage, standing nearby and "trying to diminish her presence."
Trump's message, according to Obama, in words which appear in the book in darkened print: "I can hurt you and get away with it."
Becoming is one of the most anticipated political books in recent memory. Obama is admired worldwide and has offered few extensive comments on her White House years.
Obama will launch her promotional tour this month at Chicago's United Center, where tens of thousands of people are scrambling for tickets to attend the event moderated by Oprah Winfrey.
Other stops are planned at large arenas across the nation, with guests including Reese Witherspoon and Sarah Jessica Parker. Ten per cent of tickets at each event are being donated to local charities, schools and community groups.
Becoming is part of a joint book deal with former US President Barack Obama, whose memoir is expected next year, that is believed to be worth tens of millions of dollars. The Obamas have said they will donate a "significant portion" of their author proceeds to charity, including the Obama Foundation.
Michelle Obama has long said she has no interest in running for office, although she held a few campaign-style rallies before the mid-terms urging people to register to vote. The rallies were part of her work as co-chairman of the nonpartisan, nonprofit organisation When We All Vote.
Last year, she launched a program to help empower girls worldwide through education.
Australian Associated Press
